SA Journal of Education, Vol 44, No 1 (2024)

Making written texts for learning more accessible with easy-to-read and universal design

Liliana Herrera Nieves, Loyiso De La Hoz Vargas, Elis Coba Roncallo, Ariana Hernández Gutiérrez

Abstract


Reading is regarded as one of the basic learning processes that provides multiple skills and abilities for daily life. The study reported on here arose from evidence of reading comprehension difficulties of middle school students in Colombia, and from reflection on the didactic strategies used for the promotion and teaching of reading. The purpose of this research was to strengthen students’ reading comprehension by taking advantage of the benefits of Easy-to-Read in the context of a methodology applied in Universal Design for Learning. The methodology was centred on the critical social paradigm, and the type of research was mixed with a design based on action research. The instruments used included non-participant observation, online questionnaire, standardised testing and a survey. The pedagogical proposal “Easy Reading” was designed and implemented to show progress in the students’ reading comprehension skills, meeting the objectives set.

https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v44n1a2241

ORCiD iDs of authors:
Liliana Herrera Nieves – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6578-4964
Verónica De La Hoz Vargas – https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0329-4820
Elis Coba Roncallo - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6973-6628
Ariana Hernández Gutiérrez - https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7044-6118

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